Brazil vs Morocco analysis: The danger of losing possession and a lack of control

Brazil began the match a bit more cautiously and was under heavy pressure from Morocco, who made excellent use of mid-block pressing and transitioned very well into attack.

Often, the transition wasn’t aimed directly at scoring, but rather at getting into the opponent’s half. This was largely because Brazil's forwards weren’t consistently helping out defensively.

We could see this with Achraf Hakimi’s strong presence in the first half, frequently appearing inside Brazil’s box. The Brazilian team’s strategy was to exploit the spaces on Morocco's right side of defence with Vinicius Junior and Raphinha.

In practice, we saw that both Raphinha and Vinicius Jr. occupied the same space, and many times Brazil didn’t have a player out wide, forcing the team to play through the middle. That’s when Morocco’s strategy of closing the centre and betting even more on transitions came into play.

The danger of losing possession

In one of these moments, Brazil lost the ball in the middle and were hit on the counter, resulting in Morocco’s goal. When facing teams that look to counterattack, the biggest danger comes when you’re in an offensive position.

At that moment, you’re vulnerable to transitions that can lead to goals, and that’s exactly how Brazil conceded. Tactically, they couldn’t start their plays in the second offensive phase, didn’t use the fullbacks, and took too long for defenders and midfielders to move the ball out wide, where their most dangerous players were.

Falling behind forces a new approach

Soon after conceding, there was a detail that made a big difference, especially in stadiums packed with fans: the hydration break. At that moment, Carlo Ancelotti made a tactical change that improved the team and led to Brazil scoring just over five minutes later.

Usually, during a match, when the noise is intense, it’s very hard to communicate detailed instructions and change the system effectively. With the tactical change, he kept the same players and switched to a 4-1-4-1. Ancelotti pushed Lucas Paqueta slightly wider, Vinicius out on the left, Raphinha to the right, and Igor Thiago stayed central.

The goal came early, but it started from a move down the flank (taking advantage of Hakimi’s position), in a brilliant individual play by Vinicius Jr. A nice detail about Brazil’s goal is the number of players in the box at the moment of the finish: six, including three midfielders, two wingers, and a centre forward.

Still on the tactical change, Paqueta, besides providing more cover in the middle and staying closer to the midfielders, was responsible for covering for Vinicius Jr., who didn’t always need to be involved in defensive organisation out wide.

When Vinicius wasn’t in position, Paquetá would move from the centre to the wing and close the system, which then became a 4-4-2. That’s where the 'midfield matching' comes in. In the 4-1-4-1, Brazil’s midfielders were closer to Morocco’s, and Brazil was much more effective in pressing, especially after losing the ball.

Fouls an important detail

An important detail was the number of fouls committed by Brazil, especially in the opponent’s half.

This is something that was worked on and executed better after the system change. Brazil’s defensive behaviour was good throughout the match; they pressed well and managed to win back important balls in the attacking half. But the team couldn’t turn these good moments into real chances. Morocco’s strategy of transitioning became less and less effective.

Brazil had more possession, more territorial dominance, won more duels, minimised counterattacks, but couldn’t be effective. That’s where the lack of superiority comes in.

With fullbacks and wingers sitting deep, Brazil built up play with fullbacks and central midfielders. Paqueta looked for space, creating a numerical advantage that forced one of Morocco’s midfielders out of their usual position.

This created a superiority that Morocco had to adapt to. However, Brazil didn’t take much advantage, as they didn’t move the ball quickly from wide to central areas, making Morocco’s defensive work easier.

Morocco kept their two most advanced players in a mid-block, closer to Brazil’s midfielders. With this pressing shape, Brazil didn’t have control in the middle and couldn’t get the ball out wide. When they did, it was slow and still in their own half, allowing Morocco to shift their lines and mark more strongly.

Brazil didn’t try many balls in behind the defenders. The wingers had to come deep to get the ball because the fullbacks weren’t pushing up and were almost always in line with the defenders.

Brazil didn’t have superiority either in the middle or out wide. Individual play became even more important, and at the highest level of a World Cup, that doesn’t always work, even with players who can make a difference.

After the changes, Brazil tried to shift their approach to rely on individual technical quality, brought on more mobile players, and a right-back who played inside, once again abandoning the flanks. Morocco held firm and showed they are a quality team, which is why they have a strong place on the world stage.